Self-adjusting plug support



June 3, 1930. W, E. KNOTT 1,761,731

SELF ADJUSTING PLUG SUPPORT Filed May 11, 1927 G 8 I [I 3 I |||||lill JIn I J I L l lnvenTor 7 Warren Elmo IT Patented June 3, 1930 T UNITEDSTATES PA E T OFFICE WARREN E. KNOIT, or GRAND RArIns, ivrIcnrGAN,AssiGNoRro PIONEER PEARL BUTTON COMPANY, OF rouenREE-rsine, EW Y RR, ACORPORATION on NEW Y YORK SELF-ADJUSTING PLUG SUPPORT This inventionrelates to aself adjusting plug support particularly useful in buttonblank sawing machines. In the button'blank sawing machine shownby myPatent No.

'15 1,472,275, issued'October 80, 1923, the saw which cuts the blank ismoved in a down ward direction so as to engage with the shell from whichthe blank is cut. In practice the shell is supported at its underside bya plug A in order that the shell may havethe firm backing and the sawcut thereinto.

The shells from which the blanks are out are of irregular curved formhaving difierent curvatures at different parts thereof. The saw when itengages the shell in order for it to cut readily should engage the shellsurface squarely. V In order that it may engage the shell surfacesquarely and b1te4 into the shell rather than scrape or slip thereover 1have provided a mounting for the plug support which, when the pressureof the saw is brought against the'shell, the 'shell bearing against theplug, automatically causes the plug and shell to take the-requiredposition wherein the surface'sawed is disposed normal to the axis of thesaw. A I I .It is a primary objectfand purpose of the present inventionto provide a practical device of this character to serve the endde- 130sired. :Many other objects and purposes than those stated, particularlyin the manner of adjustingtheplugafter the same. is dressed from time totime at its upper end vertically so that its upperend will be dis- 3posed in the properplane, and in also adjusting the plug holding devicevertically ,to compensate for the shortening of the saws whenthesame'are repeatedly filed and reset, will app'ear as understandingofthe inven- 1 14 tion is'had form the-following description,

taken in connection with theiaccompanying drawing, in which, p H V 'Fig.1 is a "fragmentary vertical section taken through the selfiadjustingplug sup- Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view thereof,; certain partsbeingbroken away foribetter disclosure vsliike vreference charactersrefer to like parts in the differentfigures of drawing.

vin its upper edge in which a rod or pin 6 i wardly through a lug 8projecting from a side of the pan 1. p The screw at its upper end A isequipped with a wheel 7 for manual oper- :wheel the member 3 may bevertically adlnthe construction illustrated, a pan-like member 1 is usedwhichis mounted on the button blank machine below the blank cutting saw.Integral with the pan a vertical guide is provided, as shown at 2, forguiding a cylin drical member 3 of metal which is supported by a lever lpivotally mounted between its ends on a: pivot pin 5 carried by themember 1. The inner end of the lever 4: has a recess extending acrossthe member 3 seats. The outer. end of the lever lextendsbeyond the pan 1and is engaged at its upper edge by the 7 lower end of acscrew 7 whichthreads downation. It is evident thatbypperating the justed inthe guide2. A r

The cylindricalmember 3 has its upper endiclosed exceptfor acentralvertical opening 9 therethrough and the upper side is made witha' concaved recess to provide a bearingsurface 10 which is substantiallythe w are of a sphere, the center of which is located as nearly as maybe at the upper end of the axis of the plug (later to be described) onwhichthe shells are placed. The immediate plug holding device comprisesa block 11 of metal which is substantially asegmentof a sphere, thecurved surface of which is concentric with the curved surface of thebearing surface 10 A central opening is'made downwardly through theblock 11 in which'a cylindrical sleeve 12 is secured, The'sleeve extendsa consider- "ablerdistance' below the lower side of the blocklllandvthroughthe opening ,9 previously noted. At theupper fiat side of theblock 11 a protective apron 13 of-sheet metal is located andfsecured,having downwardly extendingfianges at its] edges which cover .the upperend of themember3 and protect [the sameagainst the entrance of water orany foreign fmaterial which otherwise would likelypass between the blockneed its sup- -portingmember 3. i l

"Above the block '11 and aprdn 13 metal guidesl lhareiocated nd secured,messes w being spaced apart so as to provide a guide way locateddiametrically across the upper side of the block 11. The plug 15 extendsdownwardly into the sleeve 12 and at its upper end extends a shortdistance above the upper side of the guides 14. Between the guides 14 atone side of the plug a flat member 16 is located and permanentlysecured, its innerv end having a recess shaped to receive the adjacentside of the plug. At the outer end of the member 16 a handle 17 integraltherewith is formed and extends outwardly through a vertical slot 1 madein one side of the pan 1. At the opposite side of the plug 15 a movablejaw 18 is mounted between the guides 14 by means of a shouldered setscrew 18 which passes downwardly through a somewhat elongated openingmade in: the jaw 18, the opening being long enough to permit a limitedsliding movement of the jaw. An operating handle 19 equipped at itsinner end with an eccentric head 20 is pivotally mounted on the block 11so that the head 20 comes against the outer end of the jaw 18. It isevident that by turning the handle in a counterclockwise direction(referring to Fig. 2) the jaw may be moved inwardly to grip the plug 15and force it against the end of the member 16. WVhen moved in theopposite direction the plug 15 may be released so that it can be raisedor lowered and thus adjusted to a position such that theupper end of theaxis of the plug 15 is approximately the center about which thespherical surface 10 and the under surface of theblock 11 are centered.

Between the lower curved side of the block 11 and the curved surface 10at the upper end of the member 3 a plurality of balls 21 are located andare held by retainers 22 so that the same are in a circle around theplug 15. This provides an anti-friction hearing between block 11 and theupper end of the support 3 and one which is very sensitive so that theplug readily takes different posi tions and can be moved to any desiredposition that it will have to occupy when shells like that shown at 23areplaced against the upper end of the plug and the lower end of the saw24 brought against the upper surface 7 of the .shell.

; .the plug so that the lower end of the saw will engage squarelyagainst the upper side of the shell. This will occur because of themounting shown and described permitting the plug. to take differentangular positions with respect to the vertical. The plug holding. memberis held against rotation when the saw cuts into the shell by reason ofthe arm 17 located in the slot. 1. With the. shortening of the sawwhichoccurs after repeated sharpeningsand settings, the supportingmember 3 has to be elevated and this is accomplished by operating thescrew 7. When a new saw is applied to the machine the member 3 islowered and is thereafter elevated as the saw becomes shortened in use.

The construction described is practical for the purposes for which it isdesigned and has proved its value in actual practice. The invention isdefined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive ofall forms of structure coming within the scope of said claims.

I claim:

1. In a construction of the class described, a supporting member, a plugsupport located above the supporting member, anti-friction ballsdisposed between the under side of the plug support and the upper sideof the first named support, the upper end of said first named supporthaving a concave recess therein and the lower side of the plug supportbeing curved to correspond therewith, a vertical plug extendingdownwardly through the plug support and at its upper end extending ashort distance thereabove, a member attached to the upper side of theplug support against which one side of the plug bears, a clamping jawslidably mounted on the plug support on the opposite side of the plug,and manually operable means for moving said clamping aw against theplug.

2. In a construction of the class described, a vertical support having arelatively large vertical opening therethrough and at its upper endformed with a relatively large concaved recess, the surface of which isa segment of the surface of a sphere, a plurality of balls disposed in acircle in said recess around the vertical opening through said support,a ball retainer of circular form in which said balls are held, saidballs and retainer being freely movable on said surface, a block havinga flat upper side and a curved lower side substantially concentric withthe surface of said recess disposed with the curved lower side of saidblock lying against the balls, said block having a vertical openingtherethrough of less diameter than the di ameter of the opening in saidvertical support, and a cylindrical plug extending downwardly throughthe opening in said block and through the opening in the support, theupper'end of said plug extending a short distance above the upper sideof the block.

3. A device of the class described comprising, a base member, anon-rotatable support vertically adjustable on the base member, a plugsupport, means for mounting said plug support for universal tiltingmovement on said non-rotatable support and means on the plug supportengageable with means on the base member to prevent rotation of the plugsupport on a vertical axis, said means permitting vertical adjustmentand universal tilting movement of the plug support.

4. A device of the class described comprising, a base member having avertical slot, a non-rotatable support mounted for vertical adjustmentin said base member, a plug support, means for mounting said plugsupport for universal tilting movement in said nonrotatable member andan arm projecting from said plug support and slidably extending throughsaid slot in the base member Whereby the plug support is held fromrotation but is permitted vertical adjustment and univ versal tilting.

In testimon whereof I aifix my signature. y WARREN E. KNOTT.

